


The Angel Oak

by Aria_Lerendeair



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fix-it fic, Inspired by Fanart, M/M, Slight change to the end of Hammer of the Gods, resurrection fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-19
Updated: 2014-03-19
Packaged: 2018-01-16 07:14:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1336714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam discovers that there are traces of Gabriel left on this earth, and with a little help from someone he didn’t realize owed him a favor (Kali), he goes about trying to bring Gabriel back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Angel Oak

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Don't](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/41077) by Kyni. 



> So, I went on a quest to find this picture, because the INSTANT I saw it, I knew that I had to write something for it. It was begging for it. So, of course, I go to do exactly that, then LOSE THE DAMN LINK. 
> 
> I owe a huge thank you to the people on Tumblr (You all know who you are) who helped me hunt this picture down so I could write a fic to it. <3 I really, really love this story and it allowed me to combine it with a different idea I had had floating around for a really long time. 
> 
> As a side note...The Angel Oak is a real tree and you can actually go visit it, just like Sam does! It's located just outside Charleston, South Carolina in the US. I recommend at the very least googling pictures of it. I tried to describe it, but there was no way to do a tree as majestic as this justice.

  
  
  
  
Sam scrambled back to the hotel, ignoring the shouts of Dean.  Lucifer was gone.  He could feel that he was gone, and he would explore exactly what it meant to know that, bone deep, later.  Because he could also feel Gabriel.  Gabriel was dying.    
  
  
He tried not to listen to the voice in the back of his mind that told him he knew that he had left Gabriel to his death, that Gabriel, the Messenger of God and Archangel of Justice was going to die because of he and his brother.  He bolted through the hallway, past the blood and bodies of the gods Lucifer had left in his wake.  All that mattered was getting to Gabriel.  It took him only moments to find the room where he had left Gabriel squaring off against Lucifer.   
  
  
“Gabriel!”  Sam rushed into the room where Gabriel was kneeling, both of his hands pressed tight to his stomach and Sam could see the light leaking through his fingers.  He knew what that meant.  “No, no, no!”    
  
  
He ran to Gabriel, dropping to his knees in front of the archangel, pressing his hands over Gabriel’s.  “No, no, please Gabriel.”    
  
  
Gabriel managed to look up at Sam and smile.  “What’re you doing back here?  Did you get Kali out?”    
  
  
Sam swallowed hard at the mention of Kali and pressed his hand tighter to Gabriel’s stomach.  “Yeah.  She got out and I could…you were hurt.”    
  
  
“Good.”  Gabriel coughed and pressed his head to Sam’s chest.  “And be honest.  ‘m dying.”    
  
  
“No, no, no you’re not.  We’ll figure it out Gabriel, we will, I promise, I won’t let you-”  
  
  
“Sorry kiddo…”  
  
  
Sam felt his throat tighten and he shifted his arms to wrap around Gabriel, pulling the angel against his chest.  “Don’t.”  The nicknames hurt worse than anything now.    
  
  
Gabriel gave a small cough and closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of Sam.  He was warm.  So very warm.  “I just wish I’d…”    
  
  
“Don’t Gabe…”  Sam felt tears start and fought them down, swallowing hard.  “Please.”    
  
  
Gabriel wrapped his left hand around Sam and held on as tight as he could.  He shifted to press his right hand to Sam’s heart.  The kid might need a little extra help.  And a little angel’s grace never hurt.  “So sorry…”  He felt his true form start to unravel and wished that Sam wouldn’t be left holding an empty shell.    
  
  
The pieces of his Grace began to scatter, falling apart slowly.  Flecks of paint falling off a painting.  But for as long as he could, Gabriel stayed inside his vessel and held on.  Held on to Sam, until there was nothing left and he was gone.    
  
  
“Gabe?”  Sam choked out as Gabriel’s hand on his back and chest suddenly went limp.  “Gabe!  Gabriel!  No!”  

**  
  
  
  
  
  
**

  
  
It was years later, long after the apocalypse, long after the Leviathan that Sam allowed himself to think of Gabriel and how he might have handed that sentence of “I just wished I’d…”.  It haunted him, in his dreams.  What Gabriel had wanted to say.    
  
  
Sam didn’t bother grabbing the keys to the Impala as he stood up and headed to the door.  He needed a walk to clear his head.  Then he could come back and dig into the research.  From the looks of things, it was a simple salt and burn.  They just needed to find out where the body was buried.    
  
  
“Where are you running off to?”    
  
  
Sam looked up.  “Need a walk.  I’ll be back later.”    
  
  
Dean snorted.  “You could get laid.  Sounds like you need it.  Loosen up a little Sammy.”    
  
  
Sam shook his head and headed out the door.  It was still early afternoon and it had been years since they had been to South Carolina.  He took a deep inhale and started walking.  It was nice to be near a larger city.  Made it easier to hide.  A sign on the sidewalk made him stop.  ‘Angel Oak Tree ahead.’    
  
  
Sam bit down his urge to laugh and kept walking.  Might as well check out exactly what this Angel Oak was.  He walked further down the path, unable to keep from grinning as he thought about it.  It was probably some art project, an angel carved into an oak tree.    
  
  
Sam crossed a small bridge and went onto a small island, following the people that seemed to be walking towards the same destination.  A shiver went up his spine and he felt goosebumps break out over his arms.  He kept a careful eye on everything around him and rubbed at his arms.  Something felt off about this place.  He turned another corner and froze, staring at the tree in front of him.    
  
  
It was breathtaking, it truly was.  The tree was…magnificent.  Sam had never seen another tree like it.  He took a deep breath and walked closer, the feeling of weirdness becoming stronger as he walked closer and closer to the tree.  It was old.  So old.  A glance at a nearby sign told him four or five hundred years, but he could feel it was more than that.    
  
  
Visitors were allowed to go up near the tree and Sam did, enthralled by the beauty.  There were a number of other people standing around, taking pictures.  It was certainly not a tree kids would be allowed to climb on, but it was beautiful, all on its own.  He reached out to touch the tree bark as he drew closer and gasped as that same feeling shot up his arm, settling deep into him.  There was something special about this tree.    
  
  
“Beautiful isn’t it?”    
  
  
Sam blinked and turned to look at the young girl standing next to him.  He smiled.  “It’s amazing.  I’ve never seen something quite like it before.”    
  
  
“You’re not from around here, are you?”  She asked, reaching out to touch the tree as well, smiling.    
  
  
Sam shook his head.  “No, I’m not.  But…I think we might be staying for a little bit.”  He looked back up to the tree and felt rightness settle deep into his gut.  What was it about this tree that made him feel…at home?  After another long moment, he pulled his hand away from the tree and immediately felt the loss of the touch.    
  
  
“They say it’s almost five hundred years old, but I think it’s older than that!”  The little girl announced, staring up at the taller man.    
  
  
Sam couldn’t help smiling down at her.  “What makes you say that?”    
  
  
She tilted her head.  “It feels older, doesn’t it?”    
  
  
“Kali!”    
  
  
Sam started at the name, especially when the girl turned and waved to her parents.  He managed another smile as she ran back over to them and turned his attention back to the tree.  “Yes.  It does.”  Sam leaned forward and pressed his forehead to the tree, inhaling slowly.  He felt at peace, in a way that he hadn’t in a very, very long time.    
  
  
Maybe, maybe he’d have to ask Dean if they could stay around here for a few days.  It would certainly be worth it if he got to keep this feeling for a little bit longer.  It was truly remarkable, what he felt around this tree.  Sam touched his hand to the tree again and smiled, wishing it goodbye before he turned and started to head back to the hotel.    
  
  
He felt relaxed in a way that he hadn’t in months.  By the time he got back to the hotel, Sam was more than ready to dive into the pile of books from the local library he had brought back to the room.    
  
  
“Did you actually go get laid?”  Dean asked, his voice suspicious.    
  
  
Sam looked up at his brother and grinned.  “No, why?”    
  
  
Dean frowned.  “Because you’ve been sitting there with this dopey-ass grin on your face ever since you got back from your walk.  You sure?”   
  
  
Sam laughed and settled back into his chair.  “Yes.  I’m sure.”  He looked out the window and thought about maybe going to visit the tree again tomorrow.  “What do you think about sticking around for a few days?  I’m sure the Impala could use some TLC, and I know I sure could.”    
  
  
Dean smiled.  He hadn’t seen Sam laugh like that in…years.  Whatever was in Charleston, South Carolina was obviously good for him and if he wanted a few more days?  Well, it was easy to say yes.  Especially in this weather.  “Sure.  After we finish the case, I don’t see why we can’t stick around for a few more days.”  It was more than worth the grin that Sam gave him in response.  It’d been a while since they had had a good and proper rest anyways.    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sam had an unhealthy addiction.  He couldn’t stay away from the tree.  He didn’t want to.  He stretched out on the blanket that he had brought with him and closed his book, relaxing onto his back.  One of the main branches arched overhead, keeping him completely in the shade.  As he looked around the old and gnarled bark, he could see what the little girl had meant.  It did look and feel much older.    
  
  
It was also getting later in the afternoon, which meant the sounds of children and families and other tourists were starting to die down.  The rangers would be by soon to kick him out, like they had the last couple of nights.  Thankfully, he’d made friends with the two of them and had always left when they asked, saying that he just lost track of time.  It was true, in a way.  He felt like he could spend an eternity staring at the tree and be comforted by its presence.    
  
  
When it started to get dark and there was no sign of either of the rangers, Sam sat up on his blanket and looked around.  There’s no one except for a lone figure standing at the base of the tree.  He frowned and gathered up the rest of his stuff.  Sam gave the other person a quick wave.  “Hey, visiting hours are over.”    
  
  
“Sam Winchester.”    
  
  
Sam stilled and stared as the figure by the tree pushed off of it and started to walk towards him.  He swallowed hard.  “Kali.”    
  
  
“Do you know the story of this tree?”  She reached up to touch one of the branches and smiled at it, running her fingers along the rough bark.    
He shook his head, watching her stay where she was, calculating how quickly he could get to the gun tucked in the back of his jeans.  Not that it would be effective on her.    
  
  
“I will tell you the story of this tree.  You saved the world once, Sam Winchester and have earned the right to hear such a story.”    
  
  
“It’s older than 500 years, isn’t it?”  Sam blurted out.  He watched her smile and turn to look at him.    
  
  
“It is much older.  How old, I cannot tell you, for not even I know.”  Kali looked back up to the branches.  “It is not older than me, but it is older than many who inhabit this planet now.”  
  
  
Sam swallows and takes a step closer.  Her reverent touch of the tree is…it’s almost like she can feel what he does.  “I’d like to hear the story.”    
  
  
“Long before your ancestors were a thought, an angel fell without falling.  He had seen a brother truly fall, fall for what he believed in, and he lacked such conviction.  He was a coward.  He ran from his family, from his duty, from what he was.”  She pressed her hand tighter to the tree.    
  
  
“It is here, that such an angel fell.  Here, where an angel twisted Grace, the purest energy to be found in this dimension and turned it to something darker.  This is where an angel became not an angel, and buried that piece of him so far beneath a veneer, for many years he managed to forget.”    
  
  
Sam’s eyes went wide.  “Gabriel.  You’re talking about Gabriel.”  The air was singing with the same energy the tree gave off and Sam could feel that his answer was the right one.  He looked up at the tree again, the twisted branches and the inherent beauty.  “This is where Gabriel landed when he ran away from heaven.”    
  
  
“This place is the only place in the world that has the residual touch of that archangel.  You have such a touch inside you, having been touched by archangels yourself.  It is partly why you find such comfort here.  The comfort brothers once found in each other.”  Kali said, watching the hunter as her fingers trailed over the bark.   
  
  
“Why are you telling me this?”  Sam asked, his voice cracking.  Knowing that he felt comfort here because there was some piece of Lucifer still in him was horrifying.     
  
  
Kali’s eyes narrowed.  “I am giving you the only gift I can in repayment for the sacrifice you gave this world.  But you must harness the gift you have been given and see it for what it is.  Yours.”    
  
  
Sam shook his head.  “What are you talking about?”    
  
  
“Most would die, upon being touched by an archangel.  You have been touched by three, Sam Winchester.  Understand that makes you powerful in the ancient ways.  Ways you haven’t tapped.”    
  
  
Sam snorted.  “I’ve tapped them, believe me.  It’s not worth it.”    
  
  
“Fool!”  Kali snarled, her free hand suddenly bursting into flame.  “I talk not about your tainting with demon blood, or the powers you were granted as a result of that demon.  Now listen.”    
  
  
He stared back at Kali and waited for her to continue.    
  
  
“There are traces of Grace left behind in your soul.  They are yours, because they are washed by your soul.  They are no longer part of the angels they once belonged to.  But they remember.  It may allow you to call them, should you desire it.”    
  
  
“Why would I want to summon Michael or Lucifer?”  Sam pushed his fingers through his hair, staring at the goddess.    
  
  
“I said three archangels, Sam Winchester.”    
  
  
Sam opened his mouth to protest and then stared up at the tree.  Three archangels.  Lucifer…Michael….and Gabriel.  He had a trace of Gabriel’s Grace.  The tree had residual touches of that same Grace.  He reached up to press his hand to the bark and closed his eyes.  Was that what he was feeling?    
  
  
“One final gift Sam Winchester.”  Kali held out a piece of paper to him.  “Perhaps it will work for you where it has failed others.”    
  
  
Sam took the paper from her and unfolded it, reading over the instructions.  His eyes jumped back to Kali when he realized what he was looking at.  “Gabriel is dead.”    
  
  
“The archangel is likely dead, yes.”  Kali said with a nod of her head.  “But Tricksters and Gods?  We are the accomplices of death Sam Winchester.  We work with him and he with us.  Pieces of Loki may still exist.  And there may be enough to summon him.  If you care to try.”  She waved her hand and a handful of material appeared at Sam Winchester’s feet.    
  
  
“Why are you, why wouldn’t you summon him?”  Sam knelt, looking over the items Kali had made appear.  Chalk, oil, mistletoe, a few additional herbs that he recognized.  Everything he needed.    
  
  
Kali hummed.  “I tried to kill him.  I doubt he would appreciate me summoning him.”  She turned to walk towards the tree.  “We will not meet again.”    
  
  
“Kali!”  Sam called, watching her stop and look over her shoulder.  He smiled, clenching the paper tightly in his fist.  “Thank you.”    
  
  
Kali nodded and walked around the tree, disappearing shortly after.  
  


**  
  
  
**

  
Sam looked down at the chalk and grabbed it, along with the rest of the materials and walked closer to the base of the tree.  He dropped to his knees and began to draw on the ground, careful to follow the instructions on the paper Kali had given him.  When it came to drawing Loki’s name, he hesitated.  He wasn’t summoning only a Trickster.  He was trying to summon an archangel.    
  
  
He drew Gabriel’s name in Enochian in the middle of the summoning spell and hoped that it wouldn’t mess everything up.  Sam placed the mistletoe and other herbs at the center of the circle and knelt down.  He took his lighter out of the pocket and looked at the paper in his fist once more.  Now or never.    
  
  
Sam lit the mistletoe on fire, the scent immediately curling around him.  He breathed in deep and began to chant, calling for Loki.  It was a pagan ritual at heart and pagans are always capricious, but Sam can feel the tree responding to the magic he is summoning.  It was expanding and the air is getting thicker.    
  
  
He spared an instant to wonder if Kali had tricked him, then decided it didn’t matter.  Sam forced himself to start switching between both of Gabriel’s names as he chanted.  Gabriel, Loki.  They were both one and the same.  He didn’t want one, or the other.  He wanted them both.   
  
  
Hours later, as the scent of the mistletoe started to fade, Sam kept his eyes shut and started talking instead.  Maybe the summoning wouldn’t be enough.  Maybe it wasn’t enough.  “Please Gabriel, or Loki.  Please.  You’re needed.  We need you to come back.  Please.  You’re needed.  So many need you.  Please.  I need you.  Please come back Gabriel.”   
  
  
Sam cleared his throat and keeps talking.  “Your idea worked.  The cage.  Trapping Lucifer there.  And Michael. We got the rings, I said yes, and I dragged them both into the cage.  I went with them, but we only managed to do it because of your help Gabriel.”  The magic beneath the tree pulsed and felt like it was getting stronger.    
  
  
Piece by piece, Sam recounted the last few years, his voice cracking and breaking as he talked.  He talked about the Cage, about being brought back, about being soulless, re-attaching his soul, the Leviathan, all of it.  It was a release, and though he knew, soul-deep, that he’ll never be forgiven for some of the things he had done, Sam finally felt like, for the first time, he could breathe again.    
  
  
The clearing still echoed with silence and Sam swallowed, his throat dry with all of the talking and chanting he had done.  But he wouldn’t stop now.  He couldn’t.  “We’re in a mess Gabriel.  I am.  We all are.  The gates to heaven are locked and we don’t know how to open them again.  Cas got tricked by Metatron.  All of the angels fell.  I can’t trust Dean because he let an angel possess me.  Tricked me into saying yes.  We need your help.  I need your help Gabriel.  Please.”  Sam slumped and felt his sore back protest as the last of the scent of the mistletoe faded in the clearing.  The power was fading now.  He could feel it.  It hadn’t worked.  Sam bit down on his lip harder.  No, damnit.  No.  
  
  
A laugh echoed through the clearing under the tree a moment later.  “Why would you ever need a trickster that you’ve sworn to kill?  One that’s killed your brother a hundred times over?  A being that your puny human brain could never begin to comprehend?”    
  
  
Sam jolted in surprise, but kept his eyes clenched shut and continued to stay kneeling in the circle.  He knew that voice.  He knew it.  It haunted his dreams.  “Because I know what it means to stand up to your family, to your older brother.  I probably know better than almost anyone else what it means to stand up to them when you’ve been through everything together.  When you are everything to each other.”    
  
  
Sam bit down on his lips before continuing.  “I’m scared that the wall Death put in place will come down.  It’s not solid, I already know that from the nightmares I get.  I’m worried that Dean is going to do something stupid and get himself killed and I won’t be there to help him.  More people have died, and it seems like so many more are going to, all because of us.  I want to try to stop it.  I have to.”  Sam could hear Gabriel (if it was Gabriel), walking closer.  “We need your help Gabriel and I don’t-” He froze when a callused finger was pressed against his lips.    
  
  
“Shh.”    
  
  
The voice came again, against his ear, and Sam shivered, making sure to keep his palms pressed against his thighs, resisting the urge to reach out and touch.    
  
  
“You cannot be the savior of the world Sam.  You are not the savior of the world.  You are human.  You are fallible.  You will make mistakes.  You will hurt people.  And that is all right.  It will always be all right.”  The voice said, soft and soothing.  “But none of this explains why you have summoned a trickster archangel.”    
  
  
Sam thought about mentioning his plea for help.  They did need help.  They did.  But that wasn’t why he’d summoned Gabriel.  Not if he was honest.  Sam cleared his throat.  “Gabriel…Gabriel died in my arms.  And there was something he’d wished he’d done.  He said so.  Right at the end.  I…I want that something.  I want to know what it is.  I want to give it, if I can.”    
  
  
He shivered when he felt that finger shift away from his lips and a small hand cupped his cheek.  Sam wanted to open his eyes, but maybe if he kept them closed he could pretend this was real and actually happening.  Sam could feel the press of Gabriel’s thumb against his lips and he let his mouth fall open, his breath coming out in soft pants.  He wanted it, he wanted what Gabriel was asking for.    
  
  
But what if it wasn’t real?  What if it was all a figment of his imagination and this was some new torture that Kali had decided he deserved?  Sam nearly whimpered when he felt the thumb move away from his lips, but it was followed by a hint of static and then their lips slid together.  Sam reached out, uncaring if it meant he would disappear and yanked Gabriel closer and against him.    
  
  
Even if it was his imagination, Gabriel felt real, heavy and warm and there with him. No regrets. Sam would hold on as tightly as he could.  He groaned and wrapped his arms around Gabriel, holding onto him, his fingers digging into the rough fabric the angel seemed to be wearing.  Gabriel didn’t let him go, only held onto him and kept kissing.   
  
  
They kissed for what must have been hours and Sam could feel how swollen his lips his were, but even then he doesn’t let go for longer than it takes to suck in a breath of air.    
  
  
Sam hadn’t opened his eyes yet either. It was a deep fear, that this illusion may disappear if he risked it.  He wanted Gabriel real for as long as he could possibly have him, even if it meant like this.  When the angel pulled away, Sam clung even tighter, his fingers digging into the Gabriel’s thighs, desperate to keep him close for only a few more minutes.  

  
Sam trembled as he was kissed again, softly. He had to wonder if this was how he was going to be told goodbye.  The kisses came slowly, across his forehead, down to his cheeks, his nose, pressed against his eyelids and the corner of his lips.  Sam could feel the tears gathering at the corner of his eyes, because Gabriel would say goodbye like this.    
  
  
Sam could feel those small hands, pressed to his cheeks , wiping away the few tears that had already managed to escape.  He bit down on his lip.  What if it was real?  What if…  
  
  
“Look at me kiddo.”    
  
  
Sam hesitated only a moment before obeying.  He opened his eyes and smiled.    
  
  
"Gabriel."  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I think, the way Kali tells the story of Gabriel is probably one of my favorite things I've written in a really, really, really long time. I just love how that story flows and how she explains it...and GUH. It's wonderful. <3 
> 
> Comments and Criticisms welcome!
> 
> You can find me here: http://aria-lerendeair.tumblr.com/
> 
> You can also watch me write fics like this (and dozens of others) live! Follow me on Livestream for fics, shenanigans and a general all-around awesome time! http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7212317


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